Best Bowling Economy in Test

Best Bowling Economy in Test is the ultimate measure of a bowler's "stinginess," representing the average number of runs conceded per over. Among bowlers who have delivered at least 2,000 balls, the all-time record is held by England’s 19th-century specialist William Attewell, with a staggering economy rate of 1.31.
This means Attewell allowed barely a single run per over, showcasing a near-total defensive stranglehold over batters. He is followed by legends like Cliff Gladwin (1.60) and India’s famous "miser" Bapu Nadkarni (1.67). As of 2026, in an era of high-scoring rates and aggressive batting, maintaining an economy below 2.50 is considered a masterclass in control, exemplified by Glenn McGrath (2.49). This statistic is more than just a number; it represents a bowler's tactical discipline and their ability to "dry up" the runs, creating a suffocating atmosphere that inevitably forces batters into making fatal mistakes.

RANK 1

Jeremy Coney

Econ

2.04

Wkts

RANK 2

Janette Brittin

Econ

2.09

Wkts

RANK 3

Derek Underwood

Econ

2.1

Wkts

297

Rank	Player	Matches	Innings	Overs	Balls	Runs	Wkts	AVG	Econ	SR	Bbi	Bbm	4w	5w	10w
1	Jeremy Coney	52	53	472.3	2835	966	27	35.77	2.04	105	3/28	4/51	0	0	0
2	Janette Brittin	27	24	198	1188	415	9	46.11	2.09	132	2/15	3/27	0	0	0
3	Derek Underwood	86	151	3643.4	21862	7674	297	25.83	2.1	73.6	8/51	13/71	13	17	6
4	Phil Edmonds	51	84	2004.4	12028	4273	125	34.18	2.13	96.2	7/66	7/66	9	2	0
5	Roger Harper	25	39	602.3	3615	1291	46	28.06	2.14	78.5	6/57	6/90	2	1	0
6	Geoff Miller	34	50	858.1	5149	1859	60	30.98	2.16	85.8	5/44	6/57	1	1	0
7	Clive Lloyd	110	45	286	1716	622	10	62.2	2.17	171.6	2/13	2/22	0	0	0
8	John Emburey	64	103	2565.1	15391	5646	147	38.4	2.2	104.7	7/78	7/105	5	6	0
9	Iqbal Qasim	50	86	2169.5	13019	4807	171	28.11	2.21	76.1	7/49	11/118	13	8	2
10	Tauseef Ahmed	34	58	1296.2	7778	2950	93	31.72	2.27	83.6	6/45	9/77	3	3	0
11	Sir Viv Richards	121	103	861.4	5170	1964	32	61.37	2.27	161.5	2/17	3/51	0	0	0
12	Allan Border	156	98	668.1	4009	1525	39	39.1	2.28	102.7	7/46	11/96	1	2	1
13	Sudha Shah	21	20	140.2	842	321	5	64.2	2.28	168.4	3/28	4/50	0	0	0
14	Ewen Chatfield	43	73	1726.4	10360	3958	123	32.17	2.29	84.2	6/73	10/124	9	3	1
15	Curtly Ambrose	98	179	3683.5	22103	8501	405	20.99	2.3	54.5	8/45	11/84	21	22	3
16	Larry Gomes	60	51	400.1	2401	930	15	62	2.32	160	2/20	3/39	0	0	0
17	Stephen Boock	30	48	1099.4	6598	2564	74	34.64	2.33	89.1	7/87	8/156	1	4	0
18	Ravi Shastri	80	125	2625.1	15751	6185	151	40.96	2.35	104.3	5/75	8/179	11	2	0
19	Ray Bright	25	39	923.3	5541	2180	53	41.13	2.36	104.5	7/87	10/111	0	4	1
20	Tim May	24	45	1096.1	6577	2606	75	34.74	2.37	87.6	5/9	7/50	3	3	0
21	Shaun Pollock	108	202	4058.5	24353	9733	421	23.11	2.39	57.8	7/87	10/147	23	16	1
22	Jacob Oram	33	55	827.2	4964	1983	60	33.05	2.39	82.7	4/41	6/63	1	0	0
23	Colin de Grandhomme NZ	29	53	675.4	4054	1615	49	32.95	2.39	82.7	6/41	7/64	1	1	0
24	Lance Cairns	43	72	1771.2	10628	4280	130	32.92	2.41	81.7	7/74	10/144	5	6	1
25	Graham Gooch	118	66	442.3	2655	1069	23	46.47	2.41	115.4	3/39	5/69	0	0	0
26	Chandika Hathurusingha	26	32	327	1962	789	17	46.41	2.41	115.4	4/66	5/145	1	0	0
27	Geoff Boycott	108	20	157.2	944	382	7	54.57	2.42	134.8	3/47	3/47	0	0	0
28	Carl Hooper	102	145	2299	13794	5635	114	49.42	2.45	121	5/26	7/178	1	4	0
29	Sanath Jayasuriya	110	140	1364.4	8188	3366	98	34.34	2.46	83.5	5/34	9/74	6	2	0
30	Muttiah Muralitharan	133	230	7339.5	44039	18180	800	22.72	2.47	55	9/51	16/220	45	67	22
31	Joel Garner	58	111	2194.5	13169	5433	259	20.97	2.47	50.8	6/56	9/108	18	7	0
32	Glenn McGrath	124	243	4874.4	29248	12186	563	21.64	2.49	51.9	8/24	10/27	28	29	3
33	Mohammad Abbas	27	48	925.4	5554	2318	100	23.18	2.5	55.5	6/54	10/95	6	5	1
34	Peter Willey	26	20	181.5	1091	456	7	65.14	2.5	155.8	2/73	2/73	0	0	0
35	Brian McMillan	38	64	1008	6048	2537	75	33.82	2.51	80.6	4/65	7/117	2	0	0
36	Hamilton Masakadza ZIM	38	24	194	1164	489	16	30.56	2.52	72.7	3/24	3/24	0	0	0
37	Mike Gatting	79	32	125.2	752	317	4	79.25	2.52	188	1/14	1/14	0	0	0
38	Courtney Walsh	132	242	5003.1	30019	12688	519	24.44	2.53	57.8	7/37	13/55	32	22	3
39	Abdur Rehman	22	43	1148.4	6892	2910	99	29.39	2.53	69.6	6/25	8/92	8	2	0
40	Imran Khan	88	142	3243	19458	8258	362	22.81	2.54	53.7	8/58	14/116	17	23	6
41	Mudassar Nazar	76	96	994.3	5967	2532	66	38.36	2.54	90.4	6/32	6/38	1	1	0
42	Shivlal Yadav	35	61	1393.2	8360	3580	102	35.09	2.56	81.9	5/76	8/118	8	3	0
43	Graeme Hick	65	58	509.3	3057	1306	23	56.78	2.56	132.9	4/126	5/28	1	0	0
44	Andrew Symonds	26	41	349	2094	896	24	37.33	2.56	87.2	3/50	5/56	0	0	0
45	Shoaib Mohammad	45	26	66	396	170	5	34	2.57	79.2	2/8	2/8	0	0	0
46	Saeed Ajmal	35	67	1932	11592	5003	178	28.1	2.58	65.1	7/55	11/111	9	10	4
47	Daniel Vettori	113	187	4802.2	28814	12441	362	34.36	2.59	79.5	7/87	12/149	19	20	3
48	Wasim Akram	104	181	3771.1	22627	9779	414	23.62	2.59	54.6	7/119	11/110	20	25	5
49	Ravindra Jadeja IND	89	167	3373.3	20241	8741	348	25.11	2.59	58.1	7/42	10/110	17	15	3
50	John Bracewell	41	67	1400.3	8403	3653	102	35.81	2.6	82.3	6/32	10/106	5	4	1
51	Jason Holder WI	69	122	1884.1	11305	4924	162	30.39	2.61	69.7	6/42	11/103	4	8	1
52	Arjuna Ranatunga	93	56	395.3	2373	1040	16	65	2.62	148.3	2/17	2/20	0	0	0
53	Sir Richard Hadlee	86	150	3653	21918	9611	431	22.29	2.63	50.8	9/52	15/123	25	36	9
54	Vernon Philander	64	119	1898.3	11391	5000	224	22.32	2.63	50.8	6/21	10/102	8	13	2
55	Chris Gayle WI	103	104	1184.5	7109	3120	73	42.73	2.63	97.3	5/34	6/81	2	2	0
56	Mushtaq Mohammad	57	70	876.4	5260	2309	79	29.22	2.63	66.5	5/28	9/119	6	3	0
57	Saqlain Mushtaq	49	86	2345	14070	6206	208	29.83	2.64	67.6	8/164	10/155	12	13	3
58	Steve Waugh	168	150	1300.5	7805	3445	92	37.44	2.64	84.8	5/28	8/169	4	3	0
59	Lance Klusener	49	84	1147.5	6887	3033	80	37.91	2.64	86	8/64	8/139	2	1	0
60	John Lever	21	38	738.5	4433	1951	73	26.72	2.64	60.7	7/46	10/70	3	3	1
61	Shane Warne	145	273	6784.1	40705	17995	708	25.41	2.65	57.4	8/71	12/128	48	37	10
62	Paul Harris	37	63	1468.1	8809	3901	103	37.87	2.65	85.5	6/127	9/161	3	3	0
63	Angus Fraser	46	79	1812.4	10876	4836	177	27.32	2.66	61.4	8/53	11/110	5	13	2
64	Mohammad Hafeez	55	77	677.5	4067	1808	53	34.11	2.66	76.7	4/16	4/48	2	0	0
65	Bruce Reid	27	42	1040.4	6244	2784	113	24.63	2.67	55.2	7/51	13/148	11	5	2
66	Winston Benjamin	21	35	615.4	3694	1648	61	27.01	2.67	60.5	4/46	6/105	2	0	0
67	Malcolm Marshall	81	151	2930.4	17584	7876	376	20.94	2.68	46.7	7/22	11/89	19	22	4
68	Pragyan Ojha	24	48	1272.1	7633	3420	113	30.26	2.68	67.5	6/47	10/89	5	7	1
69	Pat Pocock	25	43	1108.2	6650	2976	67	44.41	2.68	99.2	6/79	8/142	4	3	0
70	Wasim Raja	57	69	680.2	4082	1826	51	35.8	2.68	80	4/50	6/86	2	0	0
71	Heath Streak	65	102	2259.5	13559	6079	216	28.14	2.69	62.7	6/73	9/72	16	7	0
72	Abdul Qadir	67	111	2854.2	17126	7742	236	32.8	2.71	72.5	9/56	13/101	12	15	5
73	Angelo Mathews SL	119	86	663	3978	1798	33	54.48	2.71	120.5	4/44	4/60	1	0	0
74	Terry Alderman	41	73	1696.5	10181	4616	170	27.15	2.72	59.8	6/47	10/151	5	14	1
75	Chris Old	46	81	1476.2	8858	4020	143	28.11	2.72	61.9	7/50	9/88	7	4	0
76	Rodney Hogg	38	66	1272.1	7633	3503	123	28.47	2.75	62	6/74	10/66	7	6	2
77	Shane Watson	59	93	915.5	5495	2526	75	33.68	2.75	73.2	6/33	6/51	1	3	0
78	Martin Snedden	25	41	795.5	4775	2199	58	37.91	2.76	82.3	5/68	5/77	3	1	0
79	Josh Hazlewood AUS	76	143	2570.3	15423	7144	295	24.21	2.77	52.2	6/67	9/79	11	13	0
80	Jasprit Bumrah IND	52	99	1671.5	10031	4631	234	19.79	2.77	42.8	6/27	9/86	7	16	0
81	Neil Foster	29	47	1043.3	6261	2891	88	32.85	2.77	71.1	8/107	11/163	2	5	1
82	Kapil Dev	131	227	4623.2	27740	12867	434	29.64	2.78	63.9	9/83	11/146	17	23	2
83	Monty Panesar	50	85	2079.1	12475	5797	167	34.71	2.78	74.7	6/37	11/210	4	12	2
84	Sulieman Benn	26	42	1220.1	7321	3402	87	39.1	2.78	84.1	6/81	8/108	2	6	0
85	Ben Hilfenhaus	27	49	1013	6078	2822	99	28.5	2.78	61.3	5/75	8/97	7	2	0
86	Ryan Harris	27	52	956	5736	2658	113	23.52	2.78	50.7	7/117	9/106	4	5	0
87	Ryan Sidebottom	22	36	802	4812	2231	79	28.24	2.78	60.9	7/47	10/139	5	5	1
88	Javed Miandad	124	36	245	1470	682	17	40.11	2.78	86.4	3/74	5/94	0	0	0
89	James Anderson	188	350	6672.5	40037	18627	704	26.45	2.79	56.8	7/42	11/71	32	32	3
90	Michael Holding	60	113	2113.2	12680	5898	249	23.68	2.79	50.9	8/92	14/149	11	13	2